Ironing machine



March 1, 1938. G. w. WARDWE| 1 ,JR y 2,110,008 n IRONING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20, 1934 pigi y Inventor George Wardwel I.,JT,

Att orneg.

Patented Mar. i9 l to General Electric Company, a corporation of New lli'orlr application September 20, 1934i, Serial No. liil93 i3 (Claims.

ll/liy invention relates to ironing machines of the type in which ironing is eiected by the pressure between avheated shoe and a buck.

The object of my invention is to provide an im proved construction and arrangement in an iro-ning machine of this type, and for a consideration of what ll believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying speciiication and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a sectional end elevation of an ironing machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View partly broken away of the buck; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4i is a fragmentary plan view partly broken away of the front end of the carriage; Fig. 5 is an exploded View of part of the mechanism for moving the shoe into pressing engagement with the buck; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the drain pan and the support therefor; Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on line 'i-'l of Fig. l, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view :of the pressure mechanism as shown in Fig. 1.

The ironing machine is carried on a hollow base or support l. The iront end of the upper wall of the base is provided with a depression 2 which provides a tray for pins and the like. The rear upper wall of the base is turned up at "d to provide an apron which will prevent the surplus of the material being ironed from falling over the rear edge of the base. The upper. side of the base is provided with a rectangular depression il. In this depression is placed the lower end of a hollow rectangular member t made of rubber or other resilient material for resiliently supporting a hollow buck li. The upper end of the member il fits within the depending sides of a rectangular cup-'l which is attached to the lower side of the buclr'at the center. The rectangular shape oi the member t prevents turning of the buck.. A bolt il having a head iitting withina tapered openinga in the lower wall of the buck extends through an opening il in the upper wall ofl the base, secures the buck to the base, and holds the upper and lower ends of the member 5 in firm. contact with the rectangular cap 'l and the depression il in the base. The opening d is larger than the bolt and allows some lateral movement oi the bolt. A rubber washer l@ placed between a nut li on the bolt and the upper side of the base resiliently holds the bolt in position in the base. With this arrangement the buck is resiliently supported so that it can tilt in all directions in order to maintain an even pressure over the surface ofgtherbuck during ironing.

The buck .l5 is hollow and is fabricated from a metal shell having sides t2 which flare outwardly and upwardly ,from the cup l to provide the bottom wall of the buck,`and are turned upwardly at tta to provide the edges of the buck.

(Cl. Sid-3d) The front and rear sides and edges of the shell are connected by spaced transverse vertical ribs it having integral ears lia spot welded to the shell at the edges and the bottom. The lower edges of the ribs it are spaced from the bottom of the buck to provide a space for drainage of condensed moisture along the bottom of the wall of the buck toward the center. At either end of the buck, a rib lb having its upper edge in line with the upper edge of the ribs i3 is fixed to the edge of the shell. The rib lill? forms an end support for a Wire mesh screen lil placed across the upper edges of the ribs i3 and lith. The spacing of the ribs'ld is relatively great compared to the mesh of the screen so that the ribs do not interfere with the passage of steam through the screen. The screen Ml provides a support for a pad l5 and a pad cover ita of textile material. The pad is held in place over the upper surface of the buck by cords lt which are connected to the pad cover and are laced across the under side of the buck. The screen i/i and the supporting ribs. it provide a construction which adequately supports the pad la and provides a large area for the steam which is generated during ironing to pass through the pad into the interior of metal shell l2 where it is condensed. By placing the pad directly on the screen, the full area of the screen is available for the passage oi v steam into the buck. The space between the lower ends of the ribs i3 and the bottom of the buck permits the steam to flow along the buck beneath the ribs. This makes the whole bottom wall of the buck available for condensing moisture even though only part o the buck is being used. When the steam is condensed, it Iiows along the bottom wall of the buck toward the center and is led through openings Illia in the bottom wall of the buck and the cap il to the interior of the rubber member 5. From there; the moisture is led through the base by a drain tube l'l to an opening ita in the upper wall of a pan it carried within the base. The pan ld is tubular and closed on all sides except for the opening ita. The pan is supported by lugs [Ito secured to the ends of the pan which rest in re cesses in brackets itc supported from the side wall of the base. A spring clip ltd carried by the side wall of the base presses down on the top of the pan sothat the lugs lab are held rmly in contact with the brackets itc. The pan may be removed by lifting the rear end of the pan until the lug llb is clear of the recess in the bracket lc and sliding the pan to one side until clear of the spring clip ldd. The location of the hole in the pan is such that the condensed moisture will not be spilled if the machine is tipped when moving from one location to another. By withdrawing the steam generated during ironing, the pad is kept dry and the ironing speed is increased. The rubber member 5 and the rubber washer |0 provide seals which prevent the leakage of the condensed moisture over the outside of the base and into the interior of the base.

'I'he buck is supported on the base so that the upper surface of the buck is inclined upwardly from the front. The inclined surface of the buck makes the adjustment of the clothes over the surface of the buck easier. I consider this an important feature of my invention.

'I'he carriage for supporting the shoe comprises a channel I9 of U-shaped configuration having a reenforcing web |90. secured between the flanges. The lower arm 20 of the carriage is pivotally carried on the base between guides 20a, by a pin 2| which fits within an elongated slot 22 formed in each flange of the channel. The pin 2| is below and to the rear of the center line of the buck. By providing a carriage pivoted below the inclined buck, a shorter travel of the carriage is needed to move the shoe carried by the carriage into and out of register with the buck. By pivoting the carriage below and to the rear of the center line of the inclined buck, the clearance of the shoe may be decreased without disarranging the material on the buck because the shoe tends to swing down on the buck as the shoe is moved from the out-of-register to the in-register positions. This construction has the further advantage that when the shoe is moved to the outof-register position, the shoe has less tendency to throw heat into the operators face. The slots 22 are inclined toward the lower arm so that the pin 2| tends to remain at the front end of the slots 22 when the carriage is pivoted forward from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to the position shown in full lines in Fig. l. A notch 23 is formed in the front end of the lower arm 20 of the carriage. The upper side 23a of the notch 23 projects beyond the lower side 23h of the notch so that when the carriage is pivoted forward, the lower side 23b swings past a pin 24 in the base and the upper side 23a engages the pin 24, stopping the pivotal movement of the carriage. From this position, the carriage is moved to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 by sliding the carriage forward so that the notch 23 engages the pin 24 and locks the carriage in this position. When the carriage is in this position, it cannot be displaced by forces on the upper arm of the carriage, perpendicular to the upper surface of the buck. To move the carriage from the position shown in full lines to the msition shown in dotted lines, the carriage is first pushed rearward so that the notch 23 is moved clear of the pin 24 and the pin 2i is at the front of slot 22 and the carriage is then pivoted rearward on the pin 2E.

A shoe 25 which is preferably made of aluminum or other suitable metal is supported on the lower side of the upper arm 26 of the carriage by two pins 21. The lower ends of these pins are threaded into the upper surface of the shoe at points intermediate the ends of the shoe on either side of the center of the shoe. The body of each of the pins passes through a bushing 28 which is secured at the lower end to a cross member 29 connected between the anges of the upper arm of the carriage. A coil spring 33 surrounding the bushing and the pin and arranged between the cross member '29 and a washer 3| secured to the upper end of the pin biases the shoe upward against the lower side of the upper arm 26 of the carriage. The springs 30 permit the shoe to be moved away from the carriage, and the bushings 28 guide the movement of the shoe and permit a limited tilting movement of the shoe.

The shoe is heated by a heating element 32 which is clamped in a groove formed in the upper surface of the shoe by clamps 33. A switch 32a controls the iiow of current to the heating elements. A cover 34 is provided to enclose the upper surface of the shoe.

When the'carriage is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the carriage is held against vertical movement by the pins 2| and 24, and the shoe 25 is in register with and in spaced relation to the buck. To move the shoe into pressing engagement with the buck, a low-pressure mechanism is provided which moves the shoe relative to the carriage into contact with the buck, and a heavy-pressure mechanism is provided which subsequently moves the shoe into final pressing engagement with the buck.

The low-pressure mechanism comprises a hollow shaft 35 which is pivotally carried on the carriage by a bushing 36 secured to the under side of the web of the upper arm 26 of the carriage. Pins 31 are secured at one end to the shaft, and the projecting ends of the pins 31 iit within rounded recesses 38 in a sliding block or support 39. The recesses 38 prevent endwise displacement of the shaft 35. The block 39 slides in a guide 40 secured between the flanges of the upper arm of the carriage. An ear 40a on the upper edge of the guide 40 limits the upward movement of the block. An operating lever 4| is connected to the projecting end of the shaft 35 for rotating the shaft. Rotation of the lever 4| in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, causes the pins 31 to force the block 39 downward against a plate 51 secured to the upper surface of the shoe to force the shoe away from the carriage and into engagement with the buck. A stop 39a secured to the top of the block 39 engages the arm of the carriage and limits the downward movement of the block. The leverage exerted by the lever 4| is such that only a low pressure is required to move the shoe against the action of springs 3U so that the shoe may be moved quickly and easily into contact with the buck. The position to which the shoe and block 39 are moved by the lever 4| depends on the thickness of the materia-l placed on the buck. This compensates for variations in thickness of the materials being ironed. When the lever 4| is released, the springs 30 return the shoe, the block, and the operating lever 4| to the position shown in full lines in Fig. l.

The shoe is moved into final pressing engagement with the buck by a heavy-pressure mechanism which has a shaft 42 journaled in bushings 43 in the block 39. The bushings are lubricated by wicks 43a. A cam 44 is secured to the shaft 42 by a pin 46 and fits within a recess 45 in the block 39 between the bushings 43. A slot 45a is formed in the bottom and rear si'de walls of the block through which the cam projects. The edges of the slot 45a prevent longitudinal displacement of the cam and the shaft 42. The working surface of the cam is provided by a roll 41 which is journaled between flanges 48 of the cam. The roll 41 engages the plate 51 secured to the upper surface of the shoe.

when the block 39 is in the position iuustrated in Fig. l, it is free to slide up and down in the guide 40 relative to the upper arm of the carriage. In order to lock the block 39 to the upaimons per arm of the carriage so that the cam 44 may exert a pressure tending to move the shoe away from the carriage, a U-shaped pawl-49 is provided which is carried within the recess 95 in the block 39. The front and rear sides of the pawl are on either side of the shaft 42, and the bottom of the pawl rests on ledges 45h at the bottom of the block 39. The pawl therefore pivots on shaft 42. A slot 49a is formed in the bottom of the pawl within which the cam 44 mayrotate without disturbing the pawl. The pawl has a pointed upper front edge 5U which is adapted to engage one of a series of notches 5l in a. plate 52 secured to the front wall of the guide 4U under the ear 40a. When the pawl engages a notch 5l, the bottom of the pawl which rests on the ledges 45h prevents upward movement-ofthe block 39 and locks the block to the carriage. A spring 53 arranged in a recess 53a in the front of the block 39 urges the front edge of the pawl toward the notches in plate 52. A shoulder 54 formed on the cam engages the rear edge 55 of the pawl when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and holds the pawl out of engagement with the notches 5l against the force of spring 53. The force exerted by the springs 30 tends to maintain the cam 44 in the position to hold the pawl out of engagement with the notches 5l. An operating handle 56 is connected to the projecting end of the shaft 42 for rotating the cam. 'Ihe operating levers 4l and 56 are arranged on opposite sides of the upper arm of the carriage so that both levers cannot be operated with one hand. This increases the safety of the machine. A cover 5l secured to the upper arm of the carriage encloses the pressure-developing mechanism.

When the handle 56 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, the initial movement of the handle moves the shoulder 54 on the cam away from the rear edge 55 of the pawl and allows the spring 53 to move the edge 50.0f the pawl into engagement with one oi' the notches 5I in the plate 52. This locks the block 39 in the position to which it has been moved by the lever 4I. Continued rotation of the lever 56 in a counterclockwise direction turns cam 44 and causes the roller 41 to move the shoe relative to the carriage into final pressing engagement with the buck. The roller 41 of the cam is moved past the center of the shaft 42 so that the cam will remain in this position. 'I'he rear edge 44a of the cam engages the block 39 above the slot 45a and limits the rotation of the cam. Since the low-pressure mechanism moves the shoe into contact with the buck and moves the block 39 to a corresponding position, the cam of the heavy-pressure mechanism needs only a small throw, so that the force of reaction of the lever 56 when released by the operator is small. The block 39 is locked to the carriage by the pawl 49 until the operating lever 56 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 1, at which position the shoulder 54 engages the rear edge 55 of the pawl and moves the front edge 50 of the pawl out of engagement with the notches in the plate 52. I

In the operation of the ironing machine, assume that the carriage is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; In this position the shoe is out of register with the buck so that the operator may arrange the material to be ironed on the upper surface of the buck. Since the shoe is arranged to cooperate with a buck inclined upwardly from the front, the shoe has less tendency to throw heat in the operators face when in the dotted line position. To iron the material placed on the buck, the operator pivots the carriage about pin 2l by pulling on lever 91 and as the carriage approaches the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the lower edge 23h of the arm of the carriage swings past pin 23, and the upper edge 23a of the lower arm engages the pin 2t, thus stopping further turning movement of the carriage. The operator then pulls on lever di to slide the carriage forward to bring notch 23 over pin 24, the elongated slots 22 permitting the carriage to be pulled forwardly on the pin 2i. This locks the carriage in the position shown in Fig. 1. The operator now rotates the lever 4i in a counterclock- Wise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, to cause the pins 3l to force the block 39 downwardly against the plate l on the upper surface of the shoe and move the shoe into contact with the material placed on the buck. The movement of the shoe and the block 39 depends on the thickness of the material on the buck. To complete the ironing operation, the operator rotates the lever 55 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, while still holding the lever 4i in the lowered position. Since both hands are required to operate the machine, the safety of the machine is increased. The initial movement of the lever 55 moves the shoulder 5d on the cam away from the rear edge 55 of the pawl and permits the spring 53 to move the front edge 50 of the pawl into engagement with one of the notches 5l in the plate 52. This locks the block 39 to the carriage in the position to which it was moved by the lever 4l. Continued rotationof the lever 55 causes the roller 4l of the cam to force the shoe into iinal pressing engagement with the buck. To release the shoe, the operator ilrst returns the lever 56 to the position shown in Fig. 1. The final return movement of the lever 56 causes the shoulder 54 of the cam to engage the rear edge 55 of the pawl to force the pawl out of engagement with the engaged notch of the plate 52. 'I'he operator holds lever 4| until the lever 56 is returned to the released position and then lets lever 4l return slowly under the action of springs 39. This prevents a sudden return of the shoe and lever 4l. To uncover the surface of the buck so that the ironed material may be removed, the operator pushes on the lever 4l. The initial eiect of .pushing on the lever 4l is to slide the carriage rearwardly so that the notch 23 is clear of the pin 24 and the pin 2l is in the front part of the slots 22. Continued rearward pressure on the lever 4I causes the carriage to'pivot about the pin 2| and to return to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

' The pressure-developing mechanism, the resilient mounting for the buck, and the drain pan form no part of my invention, but are the invention of J. S. Visscher and are claimed in application Serial No. 745,428, led September 25, 1934.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ironing press comprising a support, a buck carried by the support, a shoe, a carriage for said shoe, said carriage being pivoted on said support for movement of said shoe from a position out of register with said buck to a position in register with said buck, means including a sliding connection between the carriage and the support for locking the carriage in said last-named position upon sliding movement of the carriage on the support, and means for effecting movement of said buck and said shoe relative to each other into pressing engagement.

2. An ironing press comprising a support, a buck carried by said support, a carriage pivoted on said support and slidable forward on said pivot, a shoe carried by said carriage and movable thereby to a position in register with said buck, means rendered effective on forward sliding of said carriage on said pivot for locking said carriage in this position, and means for relatively moving said buck and said shoe into pressing engagement,

3. An ironing press comprising a support, a buck carried by said support, a carriage having an arm connected to said'support to allow pivotal and sliding movement with respect to said support, said connection comprising a pin within an elongated slot, a notch in said arm, a shoe carried by said carriage and movable thereby to a position in register with said buck, means engaged by said notch upon sliding movement of said carriage for locking said carriage in this position,

and means for relatively moving said buck and said shoe into pressing engagement.

4. An ironing press comprising a support, a buck carried by said support, a carriage having an arm connected to said support to allow pivotal and sliding movement with respect to said support, said connection comprising a pin within an elongated slot, a notch in said arm, a shoe carried by said carriage and movable thereby to a position in register with said buck, a rod carried by said support, said rod being engaged by said notchI on forward sliding of said carriage for locking said carriage in this position, and means for relatively moving said buck and said shoe into pressing engagement.

5. In an ironing press, a buck having spaced ribs, a wire mesh screen on said ribs, a pad of brous material on said screen, said pad being vapor pervious throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing flows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, and means enclosing the under side of the screen and spaced therefrom for protecting the screen from the atmosphere.

6. In an ironing press, a buck having spaced ribs, a wire mesh screen on said ribs, a pad of fibrous materialI on said screen, said pad being vapor pervious throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing ows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, and means including a lower wall below said ribs for protecting the under side of the screen from`the atmosphere.

7. In an ironing press, a buck having a lower wall, spaced ribs above and extending transversely of said lower wall, said ribs and said lower wall providing a space for drainage of moisture along the lower wall beneath said ribs, a wire mesh screen on said ribs, a pad of brous material on said screen, said pad being vapor pervious throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing flows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, and means including said lower wall for protecting` said screen from the atmosphere.

throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing flows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, and means enclosing the under side of the screen and spaced therefrom for protecting the screen from the atmosphere.

9. An ironing press comprising a support, a

buck carried by said support, a shoe, a carriage for said shoe for moving said shoe into register with said buck, means connecting said carriage to said support to allow pivotal and sliding movement with respect to said support, locking means rendered effective by sliding movement of said carriage for preventing displacement of said carriage by pressing forces, and means for relatively moving said buck and shoe into pressing engagement.

10. An ironing press comprising a support, a. buck carried by said support having an upwardly presented work receiving surface, a carriage at the rear of the buck having a shoe `supporting arm, a handle carried by said arm for moving the carriage, a shoe carried by said arm, and means pivoting said carriage on said support for pivotal movement about a fixed point below and to the rear of the center line of the buck whereby said shoe is swung toward said buck as it is moved from the out-of-register position at the rear of the buck to the in-register position above the buck.

ll. In an ironing press, a buck having spaced ribs, a wire mesh screen on said ribs, a pad of ibrous material on said screen, said pad being vapor pervious throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing flows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, and means for condensing the steam generated during ironing below said `screen for protecting the underside of the screen whereby the pad will be maintained dry.

12. In an ironing press, a buck having a wire mesh screen, a pad of fibrous material on said screen, said pad being vapor pervious throughout substantially its entire surface whereby the steam generated during ironing ows directly through the pad and through the mesh of the screen, supports for lsaid screen having a spacing relatively great compared to the mesh of the screen, a shoe a handle carried by said arm for moving said carriage, a shoe carried by said arm, and means for mounting the carriage on said support below said buck for pivotal movement about a fixed point and sliding movement with respect to said point whereby said shoe is movable to an in-register position above said buck and to an out-of-register position at the rear of said buck, the mounting for the carriage being such that the carriage has a rearward sliding movement at the start of the movement of the shoe froml the in-register position. v

GEORGE W. WARDWELL, Jn. 

